No fishing segment is growing as quickly as kayak fishing and it’s an international affair with several events bringing countries together to fish and compete. One recent event was the Kayak Fishing World Championship on Tennessee’s Center Hill Lake held in early June. Californian Clara Ricabal was invited to fish for Cuba since she’s a first-generation American with Cuban parents
The experience was a great one for Ricabal, who has done plenty of bass fishing from a bass boat, as she was able to compete in a Jackson Kayak against several different countries. Although the fishing wasn’t great, it was an incredible experience for her to participate in this great event.
The Kayak Fishing World Championship Details
This event is fairly new and expanding. This year, America was the host country for more than a dozen teams. Our North American neighbors, Mexico and Canada, sent teams, but some countries came from much further away.
“Romania, England, and Italy all had anglers representing their country,” said Ricabal. “With it being international, we measured every fish in centimeters. The fishing was so tough during practice that they reduced the minimum size to 20cm, which is less than 8 inches long. It was tough fishing and everyone was doing anything they could to catch a dink.”
While Ricabal didn’t have the best finish, she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “It was amazing and the town of Cookeville, Tennessee had a little parade for all the nations there,” she said. “It was great meeting everyone and. I’ve been invited to fish in Romania and was told they have their own Delta there that they fish, just like California. Another unique thing about this event is that it’s not always bass fishing and they can choose any species. Next year’s event will be in Italy and they said it will be for another species besides bass.”
Another cool experience from the event was when she was able to meet a Cuban angler who had recently relocated to Indiana.
“He was a bass fishing champion back in Cuba and now lives in Indiana,” she said. “He was following the Mexican team’s Facebook team about the event and saw the Cuban flag. He drove four hours each way to meet me and wants to get into bass fishing here in America.”
Packing for Tennessee
As a full-time nurse and team tournament director for the American Bass Association, Ricabal is very busy. Her best way to get to Tennessee was to fly and borrow a Jackson Knarr kayak. She also borrowed a rod tube and packed it with several of her favorite St. Croix rods, planning with rods that can do more than one thing.
She uses many different rod lines from St. Croix but is partial to the Legend Xtreme, a premium lineup with great features. Ricabal likes them for many reasons, including the unique Xtreme-Skin handle.
“I love fishing them on a boat or a kayak and the grip is very comfortable,” she said, adding that she’s a fan of bottom techniques like jigs. “They are very light and extremely sensitive. I like the tapers and how well they load up when you set the hook.”
With limited space, she packed eight rods and brought six with her on the kayak each day for the event. With challenging fishing, she downsized her line and went with finesse.
“The 6-foot, 10-inch, medium-light spinning rod is a great rod that will do many things,” she said. “I was using straight 6-pound fluorocarbon and fishing wacky-rigs, Ned Rigs, and 2.8-inch Keitechs. The wacky rig was the best for me during practice and that rod is great for it.”
Among her other favorites is the 7-foot medium-heavy baitcast model, which can do almost everything. This rod handles jigs and heavier shaky heads like she was fishing in Tennessee, but it can do even more.
Just days after returning from this kayak event, Clara and Alex Niapas won the Wild West Bass Trail team event on Don Pedro with a 15.37-pound limit and this rod was a major player.
“It was all on a ChatterBait, swimbait and popper,” she said. “We fished one area and were able to catch all of our fish in that spot to get the win.”
The Kayak Fishing World Championship was a great one for Clara Ricabal, who was able to represent her parent’s country against teams from around the world. As the event grows, more and more teams are likely to get involved and it's proof that fishing is a universal language.
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